My horses are soft in the head, i swear it!

0ldmare

0ldmare

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 September 2004
Messages
7,423
Location
Kent
Visit site
Honestly I think my 2 horses are soft in the head. Possibly early onset dementia or maybe just plain thick

They are in at night, out in frozen snowy wasteland of a paddock during the day. Each day I diligently carry out armfulls of gorgeous (expensive) June cut hay and each day they ignore it and prefer to dig and furtle about trying to find a frozen blade of grass :mad:

Nor do they want to come in at night really. Last night I had to trudge to the furthest point in the paddock to get them (muttering threats under my breath) and they had 'that look' in their eyes - The 'I might not let you catch me' one

Nor do they finish their haynets overnight or their feeds or even drinking a lot.

Honestly I haven't a clue how they are getting enough food, but neither of them are fading away and both are bright as buttons

Very very weird, is anyone elses horses doing this?
 
SNAP! Came home last night from work and thought someone had stolen our old shetland. She was digging in leaves at the bottom of the paddock and both breaskfast and haynet were still there in favour of leaves. Her face even looks like bog with mud all over it obviously the expensive feed and hay aren't a patch on mud!
 
Yep mine are the same with regards to would rather go up the top of the hill and dig about in the snow for grass than eat the hay! They are waiting at the gate to come in at night and eat feed and haynet! Mind you they don't seem to be drinking anything!
 
0ldmare said:
.......Honestly I haven't a clue how they are getting enough food, but neither of them are fading away and both are bright as buttons

Very very weird, is anyone elses horses doing this?
Click to expand...

Are you alone? NO!! Four in-foal mares, all living out, two without rugs, and all, if I'm honest, looking worryingly, "pig-fat"!!

I take the view, that if they look well, then there's a good reason for it. They are! I really wouldn't worry too much.

Alec.
 
You think yours is bad, my old mare was sedated for the dentist a couple of years ago, and I left her to go help the dentist carry his stuff, and she climbed out of her stable :confused: Horses aren't the most intelligent creatures :p
 
Yep same here, well my old girl stands and eats the hay but the baby prefers to snuffle about in the snow for the odd blade of grass.

But then I guess if he was really hungry he'd eat it... but he is definately soft in the head so you never know!

At least I have one horse with some common sense.
 
Mine stand in their hay - and wee on it, or poo on it, or both (though not at the same time).

I pay £30 per bale of that stuff!

Would love to have them living in and having hay in containers so as they can't wreck the blasted stuff!!

And breathe... :D

The irriates then look round as though to say "What? No nice hay??".

Argh!!!

Have looked at hay hutch thingies, but at nearly £200 a go (the big ones), I guess they'll have to wait 'till after Christmas :)

Sorry OP, sort of gone off at a tangent, but feel a sort of Off At A Tangent sort of day :D
 
MrsMistletoe said:
Mine stand in their hay - and wee on it, or poo on it, or both (though not at the same time).

I pay £30 per bale of that stuff!

Would love to have them living in and having hay in containers so as they can't wreck the blasted stuff!!

And breathe... :D

The irriates then look round as though to say "What? No nice hay??".

Argh!!!

Have looked at hay hutch thingies, but at nearly £200 a go (the big ones), I guess they'll have to wait 'till after Christmas :)

Sorry OP, sort of gone off at a tangent, but feel a sort of Off At A Tangent sort of day :D
Click to expand...



Have seen some quite good homemade hay hutches made of of pallets but can't remember where I saw the pictures think it was actually on the forum (it is under heading "preventing hay wastage!)
 
Thank god it not just mine!! Had phone call yesterday asking if I wanted mine in so rushed up there in snow storm. Nearly killed me getting them in, then went mad bucking in stables and had to go back out. I then had to sit up yard in a snow storm until they decided to come in. Everyone elses were in eating hay and looking happy. They knock over the water I carry into field and poo on the hay and haylage.
 
this is all so unfair. i really cant feed my greedy horse enough.. he has a large haynet in the field and a large haynet in the stable at night . he has 2 hard feeds of chaff beet and 16 plus. i swear down i will not be able to find a tiny piece of hay. if i knew what he was like when i bought him i would have renamed him garfield!!
 
Mine didnt really want to come in tonight either. My warmblood mare who is usually totally fearless and a complete rock to hack out, is absolutely terrified of the Snowman that YOs kids and my daughter have built at the entrance to her field. She was shaking like a leaf when i tried to lead her in past it, snorting, prancing, leaping sideways crushing me into the hedge, dragging me down the lane to the yard at a fast trot...i dont want to destory the Snowman as YO and her kids are at olympia and will be cross if I do but she is terrified of it!!
Daughters Sec A lives out and left his hay last night too, prefers digging in the snow. Mad old thing!
 
Oh pheew its not just mine then! At least they don't wee or poo on it, so I suppose that's something. In fact they just studiously ignore me as I huff in with more hay (although I didn't put any out today, there's enough already out there for a herd of horses to live off)

Still it looks like being a cheap winter if they go on like this :D

Just hope the RSPCA don't get wind of cruel heartless owner not putting out fresh hay for her 2 poor neglected horses, one of which doesn't even have a rug on (hangs head in shame)
 
lol ok yesterday one of liveries decided to hay the field - grrrrrr would be nice to be asked if I minded and errrrrrrr a safer place than just throwing over a fence to (herd of 11) and do you know what they had a 5 min munch then went off snuffling the snow for the grass and hay is still there wasted lol - try not to panic - if they are bright not dropping weight they are fine. I would keep eye on fibre intake ( unmolassed suber beet is good) but honestly if they were hungry they would eat up all hay etc xxx
 
See I think the opposite! I think mine are utterly fab and incredibly clever. Today they went to the highest point and dug through the snow to get to the grass. How did they know the best place to get to the grass?!? I have no issue with them leaving the hay if they can find grass. They also managed to smash through the ice on the tiny little stream as the trough froze over about an hour after I smashed it.

I am in awe of their resourcefulness and just generally amazed by them! When I went up to feed them this morning and shouted them over, they initially came at a walk, then a trot, then a canter, then a full on charge. They maintained their balance down the hill in a collected canter, then came up the other side in a full blown charge, without missing a step and in perfect balance. I've never had horses out 24/7 in winter before but I am amazed how well they are coping and how happy they are!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top